KNYSNA NEWS - For many, reaching the age of 81 means taking it easy, but for Heidi Hetzer, age is just a number.
And Hetzer's life has been defined by numbers – including 84 000, being the number of kilometres she drove around the world just over a year ago, and 114 – one of her many racing numbers in her illustrious automotive racing career.
Last week Hetzer put another couple of numbers under her belt when she arrived in Knysna after completing an epic journey from Alexandria in Egypt all the way to South Africa in a bright pink Toyota Land Cruiser.
Next stop: America
She didn't stay long before heading to Cape Town from where she will be flying back home to Berlin, Germany before setting off to America to participate in a rally there.
Through her adventures traversing Africa, Hetzer has picked up the nickname the "Pink Lady" as a result of the colour she chose for her vehicle – a choice that came from an unexpected place.
"Everyone warned me that there was a chance that my then white Land Cruiser would be stolen along the journey. I thought about it and decided to paint it a colour so ugly that no one would want to steal it. That is how I came to choose pink. It turned out to be a good choice as I made it all the way here without incident. It also grew on me… I am a lady, so why not pink," the quirky driver said.
Breaking stereotypes
Hetzer has broken the stereotype of the elderly on the road. Her driving skills remain sharp, just like her mind.
She has proven this repeatedly including when she decided to drive around the world in a 1930 Hudson. The former car dealer had just retired when her two children asked her what she wanted to do next. She initially quipped that she would drive around the world, but this soon turned into a reality when the then 76-year-old embarked on the journey in July 2014.
Starting in Berlin, Hetzer took on the journey mostly alone, and covered vast areas through Eastern Europe, Central Asia, China, South Asia and Australia. She also covered New Zealand, the US, Canada all the way to Patagonia and across the southern Atlantic to South Africa, and back home by 2017.
She more or less followed the tracks of German Clarenore Stinnes who made a similar journey in the late 1920s.
'Nothing is impossible'
Hetzer weathered many challenges including breakdowns and the loss of one of her fingers while repairing an oil leak on the vehicle. Nothing deterred her to complete the journey, however.
"It showed me that nothing is impossible. I actually despise it when people say something is impossible. If there is a will there is a way. I also realised that you are never too old to start something."
After returning to Berlin following the trip, she realised that she still enjoyed driving. At the time, Hetzer felt the atmosphere in Germany was at a low. "I'm a very positive person and felt I needed to get out. That is why I decided to plan my next journey – through Africa."
On the road since November
She started in Egypt on 25 November last year and drove through several countries including Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and Swaziland. She did so in her 1988 4.2l 6-cylinder Toyota Land Cruiser. "This time around I wanted to do it in something a bit newer. I chose an engine with no electronics, making it easier to repair along the way."
Hetzer said the journey here was wonderful. "I enjoyed sunshine all the way to South Africa and only got rain on my way between Addo and Storms River."
About the lessons she has learnt along the way, she said she has come to realise that people are inherently good. "Despite what we tend to believe, people are overall friendly and compassionate."
It's a family thing
Her love for the automotive industry seems to run in the family. Her father was a keen racer, particularly on motorcycles. In 1929 he rode a motorcycle all the way from Berlin to the pyramids. He did so with his wife who enjoyed the ride from a sidecar.
Her daughter also has the travel bug and sailed all the way from Germany to America with her husband and three children. Hetzer's son recently quit his job and is spending four months travelling New Zealand in a camper van with his family. "I won't be surprised if my five grandchildren will one day have the same sense of adventure," Hetzer said. In September she hopes to return to South Africa and make her way through the continent along the west coast.
Heidi Hetzer (81) has made it all the way from Egypt to South Africa in her pink Land Cruiser. Photo: Yolande Stander
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